16 November 2023.
Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States
Locality: Pensacola State College, Midway Campus, 1/8 mile south of Highway 98.
Coordinates: 30.3971, -87.0104
(Map it)
Elevation: 10m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Environment description: Sand Pine Scrub, old remnant sand dune. Slope: flat. Aspect: West. Elevation: 32 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 20
Associated species: Quercus laevis; Quercus geminata; Quercus myrtifolia; Pinus clausa; Ilex vomitoria; Serenoa repens; Smilax pumila; Smilax auriculata; Conradina canescens; Cladonia sp.; Clinopodium coccineum; Baccharis halmifolia; Licania michauxii; Smilax smallii.
Comment: Sparkleberry is a deciduous to tardily deciduous shrub to small tree, single or multi-trunked, 10-20’ tall, upright, with a spreading to rounded crown. Found in xeric to mesic woods. Bark reddish-brown, shredding-exfoliating, often with very ornamental patches of grays, browns, reds, oranges. Leaves alternate, simple, leathery, 1-3", ovate, obovate; upper surfaces medium to dark green, glabrous with a slight shine; undersides pale green, glabrous to finely pubescent along the central veins; margins entire to very finely toothed; excellent red, crimson, burgundy fall color. Flowers white, single racemes, racemes single or in clusters of 2-5, 2" long, late spring-early summer. Fruit are persistent green berries, eventually turning black in the fall; mealy, gritty, not juicy. Seeds collected from 20 plants. Species is common.
Collector(s):